coming out of hiding

Ok. I think I'm recovering from the after Christmas blues. I was composing a running poem in my head yesterday as I ran my errands about the very emotion. I do that. monologue in my head. is it still a monologue if it's never spoken aloud? Anyway - I even considered posting it on my personal blog, but it was a little gray as far as poetry goes, and someone might think I'm serious.

But the sun came out today, and I decided to check my email for the first time in a long time. My good friend Candis, who is a talented photographer among other things, sent these beautiful pics of her boys wearing the Tom scarf.

I guess I should have asked permission before posting these. Oh well. It's ok right Candis? I mean, these kids do often play my muse. And Tom of the tom scarf is their baby brother.

Thanks for the boost guys.

And I'll have a nice wintertime project coming soon. Something to do inside while the weather outside is frightful.

A bad example

I'm very aware that I need pictures of human beings wearing my hats in the store. Although I have no problem seeing how a hat would look on a child when it's being modeled by a crystal candle stand... (That's right. It's a pillar candle stand and I got it at Ross for $6. Did I just ruin some of the magic? Like finding out Sleeping Beauty's castle at Disneyland doesn't actually have any rooms in it. Besides the gift shop.) But it's so hard to get your hands on a calm kid, arrange a photo shoot, etc. whine, whine, complain.

In the meantime, I'll post these pictures of my boy wearing a girls hat. And I'll be sure to get my slide show up and running of all the little darlings who have been so good to share pictures with me. I'm not going to lie - there are some pretty cute kids in there.

By the way, taking a picture of this kid is like trying to take a picture of a streak of lightning. And I'm no professional! I'll try and get some amateur pics of my new fleece hats too. And then some day... real pictures. pretty pictures. If I can dream....

Love at third sight.

To mark the end of fleece month, (even though I did have more projects planned. oh well, next year.) here is the debut of my new fleece hats.

TA DA!

and can I just say, without sounding too biased, that I just love them?! Yes, I think I can because it's always a surprise to me how things turn out. So I happen upon my creations not unlike someone who might happen upon them online. I'll make something 3 - 4 times before I hear deb's words running through my head:

"that's the one. I think it's going to turn out real nice."

this is the 3rd revision of my fleece hats. The first two were so-so but this one had me instantly dreaming of snow capped mountains and wooden shoes. That's what I love about it - it's so folksy. Can't you just picture this on a little blond girl clad in a bright felt poncho, maybe embroidered with penny rugs, toting a little goat behind her on some grassy hillside?
Well I can.

There are more girl colors and definitely some boy varieties too. I'll hopefully get them all posted tomorrow. that is if my trip to the dentist goes quick. I hate the dentist. And the condescending way he asks if I've been flossing when he knows perfectly well the answer to that question!

BLACK FRIDAY

Friday November 27, 2009 only
Here are the dealios:

Changing Pads: $20

Burp Cloth 3 Packs: $5

Everything Else: 10% off !
(excluding reserved listings)

Now lets see who's paying attention. My little niece Chloe will also be one month old on November 27. Anyone who mentions the sweetie by name in the 'notes to seller' section, will get an extra 5% off. (That's a total of 15% off folks!) Friday only!

Need something extra cute and comfy to wear on the black event? Check out the free download for a New Moon iron on t-shirt transfer at my good pal's Heirloom Paperie blog. (You may have noticed her artwork all over my blog/shop/labels.) She has one, I have one, all the cool people have this t-shirt. And yes, I said 'free.'

easy squeezey boa constrictor scarf

A little more advanced than the last project,

but don't worry beginners, it's still a cinch.

You will need:

• 1/4 yard each of two different colors anti-pill fleece
• 2 green buttons (I used 5/8")
• scrap of 5/8" wide red ribbon (I used a felt ribbon so it won't fray)
• basic sewing supplies
• sewing machine
  

Trim fleece to a 6" strip with both colors.

Cut 6" strip into 9" pieces.
(some of you may be thinking, "why didn't we just leave the strip at it's original 9" width and cut 6" strips instead?" Well you're sharp, but here's why:

this keeps the stretch of the fabric going around the neck, where it can useful.)

Continue cutting with both colors until you have 5 pieces of white
and 4 pieces of black. You will start and end with white.
This will make an approx. 50" scarf, a good size for a younger child.
Add more pieces for an older child.




Copy this template. This will be the snake's head.

Enlarge or reduce the image so the bottom edge measure 4 1/2",

And the top to bottom edge measures 6".

Fold one of the white pieces in half so it measures 4 1/2" x 6".
Place template on piece and cut around. Do NOT cut the fold.

It should look like a mutant two-headed snake.

Center your ribbon scrap on one head's "mouth" and stitch.

Starting with the bottom edge of the head, sew the strips together along the 9" edge alternating colors.

Be sure to sew right sides together

(remember anti-pill fleece has kind of a fur on the right side?)

Use up all your strips. Does it look like this?

Now fold it in half with the stitching and wrong sides of fabric facing out. Pin the edges.

At the bottom of the scarf, cut the last strip to a point.

Starting with the head, sew along the raw edge. You should be starting on the fold side of the scarf and wrapping around to the raw edge side. Sew all the way down the to tail.

Leave the short cut edge of the point open for turning.

Turn the scarf right side out through the opening in the tail.

Press it flat and hand stitch the opening shut.

Sew on the eyes and fork the tongue. I turned my buttons sideways so the holes would look like snake pupils. (If you're using a ribbon that will fray, you may want to fray check the cut edge.)

Well that should take care of the adventurous little boy on your list.
Just don't get too carried away when you're wrapping this around his neck.

He's not actually supposed to suffocate.

Although if you make this for someone a lot older, say your brother, or your husband,

I guess there will be times when there's no such thing as too tight...

But good luck getting a grown man to wear a scarf that looks like a snake.

curly girly boa scarf

Three cheers for our first fleece project! I know, I'm late. But it was too dark yesterday to take decent pictures. So without further ado... THE BOA SCARF

This is so easy to make! You'll need:

• about a yard of anti-pill fleece
  (more or less depending on who you're making it for)
• basic sewing supplies
• a sewing machine
• a comfy couch + good movie

* Start by cutting three - 4" strips along the length of your fleece. These cuts should run PARALLEL to the selvedge edge. This means that however long you want the scarf, that's how much fabric you'll buy. (for example: If you buy one yard of fabric, your scarf will be 36" long) 40" is a good starting point for a child's scarf. Add more inches for an older child, subtract for younger, etc. You'll want this to be a generous scarf so they can wrap and wrap and wrap.

* Stack the three strips on top of each other and pin.


* With a fabric pen, mark a line down the center of the scarf.
This is line will be your stitching line. Sew the three layers together.
Make sure you adjust your stitch length on your machine to be longer, since fleece is so thick. You may also want to lessen the pressure on your pressure foot, if you know how.


* Now you'll want to cozy up on the couch with your redbox copy of The Proposal and a decent amount of chocolate. (Didn't I mention that in the supplies list?)
If you are doing multiple scarves, sew them all first, then do this next part all at once.

Cut all the layers into about 1/2" strips. Cut up to the stitching but be careful NOT to cut through it.

(You're scarf will be very short.)

Now it looks good but we can make it even cuter.

One by one, grasp each strand at the base. Applying just a hint of pressure, let the strip run through your fingers and snap back into place. You can do this rapid fire, it doesn't have to be perfect or methodical. And you will get a good amount of fluffy lint up your nose.

VOILA!

A beautiful, luxurious scarf in no time. Wrap this up, put it under the tree of a special little girl, and I guarantee she will put it on immediately, and leave it on until May.

The big girls on your list might like this scarf also.

Play around with different colors of fleece to make something truly one-of-a-kind.

More fleece projects to come! I'll be checking in later.

And please don't hesitate to email me pictures of your creation.

Shop Announcement

Gift wrap is now available in the shop.

HOORAY!


(Did you pick out your fleece? I'll have a project for you tomorrow...)

November is fleece month!

Because I dub it so. Fleece is fab! It's soft, cozy, warm, comfy, easy to care for, forgiving for beginners, malleable for the advanced...need I go on?

Well, the days are getting colder, the nights are falling faster, and there is a slight touch of holiday in the air. So I've cooked up a few projects involving the fun fabric this month that would make PERFECT Christmas presents or just help you ward off the cold. But first - I thought I'd impart my knowledge about the fabric to you.

May I please have the attention of the class. Today we are talking about fleece.

Fleece is not felt, nor flannel, as it is often confused with. Fleece is a knitted material. This means it has a stretch to it as well as the edges will not fray. However, they can run. (So I hope you're fast!! snort! haha! ahh... ) Just make sure that any high traffic, or high stress edges have some kind of finishing on them. Other edges are fine left raw.

There are 3 main types of fleece:

Words like Alpine, Polar, Glacier, etc. are store brands. They do not create any difference in the fleece. This fleece has no directional nap to it, just general fuzz. People are often attracted to this fleece because it looks so lofty and dreamy to the touch, but beware! This is the cheapest of the fleeces and washes like it. Hate that icky chewed-up-cat-toy look? Don't buy this. It's fine for blankets and scarves, but does not make good clothes.

This is where you'll typically find character fleece (ie. Barbie, Hotwheels, Spongebob). If you do buy it, be sure the label says: 100% polyester. Anything with acrylic in it, is as good as garbage.

This fleece has a definite nap to it. It will almost look like fur. The little nubs of this fleece will become more pronounced as you wash it. The word 'anti-pill' refers to those nasty little lint balls, which typically form on standard fleece. This fleece is heavier and bulkier than the other fleeces. It's great for larger scale projects but can be frustrating when working with smaller pieces. This fleece does have a right and wrong side. (but no conscience to help it choose! man - I am on a roll!)

The adorable little sister of the bunch. You can see the tight little nubs of this fabric do not have a directional nap. This is the lightest, springiest and stretchiest of the fleeces. It gives just as much warmth as any fleece, but does not have as much body. (Maybe I could loan it some of mine?! come on!) It's wonderful for clothes and small projects but not something where it would need to hold it's own shape. It also has a right and wrong side to it. It's definitely my fave of the three.

Ok class, your homework is to scout out these three at your local fabric store. Most stores should have them on sale right now. Pick some good ones that you like and buy a yard or two and I'll have some projects in the near future.

In the meantime, here is a no machine required project to use up all the felt scraps leftover from Halloween costumes:

right here at Anna Maria Horner's blog.

Would go nicely 'round a Christmas tree, don't you think?

p.s. unless you are experienced with sewing, stay away from fleece's tricky cousin: specialty fleece. curly fleece, furry fleece, sherpa fleece, etc.

p.p.s. who wrote the jokes anyway?

the new and improved

Just a quickie announcement:
My fruit punch hat had a makeover...

Before:

After:

It's not that I didn't think the former lining wasn't cute, but I couldn't look at the red and yellow and not think of McDonalds. And frankly I wouldn't want to be responsible for some poor mother's weight gain because she craved a 'Big and Tasty' every time her daughter wore the hat. {I know I've had way too many...}

Anyway, I'm lovin the new lining. E tu?

Tis the season

Fresh out of the oven and just in time for Halloween! My two new costume hats. I think I need to get a real live girl under that kitty hat. What do you think?

{if only they were easier to come by... I've looked but I keep coming up with boys}

Good News!

In honor of my new fall items I've added to my shop.... I'm extending my fall sale!

HOORAY!

Check out my new stuff and take 10% off your purchase for crying out loud!

Sale ends Saturday, September 26th.

Stella!

Break out your knitting needles and get started on this gorgeous {!!} hat from Etsy's how-to Tuesdays. It's a pretty simple pattern for beginner & intermediate knitters because you're just knitting a rectangle. C'mon, you're practically knitting a scarf!

Download the pattern and instructions here.
{I know a little niece-on-the-way who will be sporting one of these this winter!}